The genius of Roberto Cavalli is that he lives exactly as he should. He is not a subtle man, and he doesn't make subtle clothes. Cavalli lives a leopard-print life.

Take, for example, his casa on a hill overlooking Florence, Italy. A 14th-century watchtower, it has four birdcages housing colorful macaws and a hysterical cockatoo, dozens of crystal balls, walls of classical portraits, a Julian Schnabel plate painting of his wife, Eva, a cellar full of Cavalli wine and Cavalli vodka, a tanning machine, and a bedazzled motorbike. Down the hill is Cavalli's ultramodern photo studio, a techtastic palace with light-up floors. Photography is his latest obsession; he's off to New Guinea next week to shoot "the last cannibal tribe."

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Cavalli has been living large since 1970, this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of his fashion label. He began to hit his stride in the late '60s in Florence, where he came up with an innovative technique to print on leather. In 1970, he made his runway debut in Paris with leather evening gowns and swimsuits, followed by embellished jeans, and now he sits atop an empire with an estimated worth of well over $1 billion.

What does he know now that he wishes he knew then? "Eh, good question," he says, puffing on a nicotine-filled electronic cigarette, glowing blue at the tip. ("I start to cough," he explains, "so I do this.") "I know many things. Forty years ago, I expected all the world. I was very enthusiastic, but I didn't understand that you have to follow the system. The big fish run the show." But now you're a big fish. "I'm a middle fish, but there are small fish that are poisonous." He smiles cryptically.

Cavalli, 69, is still pondering his place in fashion's Amazon when he's interrupted by the arrival of a lion cub for this photo shoot. "Ah, mio amore!" he says, jumping up and giving the cub a cuddle. "Where was I," he says, trying, unsuccessfully, to balance the lion on his lap. "Today, I'm very happy about myself, because I realized my dreams. I learned how to understand what people want. With time, fashion has become part of my DNA."

Another constant has been Cavalli's marriage to the chic, and very patient, Eva. They have been married for 30 years, meeting when he was judging the Miss Universe Pageant in 1977. She was Miss Austria. Today, they design the Cavalli collection together and take their bow as a duo every season. "When we met, I didn't know working in fashion would become the biggest love of her life," Cavalli says. What's the secret to a long-lasting marriage? Chuckle. "Next question." Who's the boss? "No boss. She's a woman. She's wonderful. She loves my taste, I love her taste. We never fight over the collection." But it's hard to leave fashion at the studio door. "Sometimes it's not easy when you come home and want to eat," he sighs.

Cavalli's love of fashion and beautiful women has always been intertwined. "Of course I think about a beautiful woman to dress, because that's my way," he says with a shrug. Is there a difference? "Yes," he says. "I don't masturbate thinking about fashion."

One would hope not. The one new beauty on the scene who interests him is Megan Fox, currently signed to Emporio Armani Underwear. Cavalli's relationships with celebrities are mythic; he entertains them (Victoria and David Beckham, Mariah Carey, Sharon Stone) on his 140-foot boat, moored in glittering locales like Cannes and Saint-Tropez. He spoke to Michael Jackson a week before his death. "He sounded fine," he remembers, flipping open his ancient Nokia phone to look at Jackson's cell number, "but it was hard to tell. His voice was always so soft."

Cavalli would be interested in dressing Michelle Obama. "A small print, I don't see her with a big one. And a very bright color." On the provenance of his trademark leopard print, he says, "God created such a fantastic world. Leopard is an animal design, and my designs come from nature."

He's disappointed that everyone is doing leopard now. "In the beginning, when people copied me I was happy." But now, "I can understand when H&M or Zara copies me, but I hate it when big designers copy me. You have a big name, you should never copy me." He abhors fall's low-key tailoring: "Minimalism is so boring." And if he were hit by an autobus tomorrow, he maintains, Roberto Cavalli would be no more. No new designer? "Nobody."

Fall 2010 was one of Cavalli's best collections, a louche yet refined mix of tapestry coats, flowing dresses, and lots of sexy back. Although he has enough money and glory to sail away on his boat forever, he still craves validation from the missus. "To hear her say, 'Oh my God, bravo,'" he says, with the slightest twinge of melancholy. "It's beautiful to hear from your wife."

But enough of that; it's sexy time. Cavalli muses on what he loves about the ladies: "Their eyes. A woman can drive me crazy with her eyes. And when they don't pay attention to me, they drive me crazy too."